The Kuisa

Something we have been thinking about lately is the so-called kuisa. An important part of the cohoba ritual since participants had to purge themselves before the ceremony, we have never heard this word kuisa before. It would be interesting to know where the Museo del Barrio found this word since we have not encountered any Spanish sources from the early colonial period using it. Was it taken from one of the dictionaries of Taino language revivalists?

Reine Anacaona

I am unsure about the source of this clip, but I found it interesting as one of the more serious Haitian videos on the island's indigenous past. It's designed to be short, simple, and respectful of the "Taino" past on Haiti. There are some issues or areas that undoubtedly require more updated information and nuance (like the population of the island in 1492 or the question of gender relations), but this is interesting. I'd love to see a serious source for the claim of some of the population sizes of villages or towns, too. 

Mound-Builders

Enjoying a dated but interesting documentary on Cahokia and related mound-building sites in North America. Featuring Leonard Nimoy as narrator, it serves as a nice overview or introduction to a complex of indigenous civilizations in the continent.

The Dominican Southwest

While we were hoping for more references to indigenous retentions or symbolism in this short documentary from Martha Ellen Davis, the overall result is an interesting one. Showcasing the regional identity and uniqueness of the Dominican Southwest, the film takes the viewer on a journey through various towns or areas of the Southwest. Along the way, one sees different cultural traditions, musical genres, and aspects of life and folklore, drawing on African, Taino, Catholic, and Haitian influences. It is unfortunate that the veve-like cosmogram drawn in the first third of the film and the corral de los indios in San Juan de la Maguana never receive significant analysis that would shed light on Taino influences in this part of the island. After all, the southwest of the DR is said to have retained Indian spirits as a part of their form of Dominican Vodou, usually associated with water. Why not include interviews with Dominican practitioners who serve these Indian spirits?

Girard and the Tainos

Although we have issues with Philippe Girard's scholarship on Haiti, this is a decent introduction to the history of the Taino. Except for the suggestion that ganja or marijuana was part of the cohoba ritual, Girard does a decent job covering the history of the Taino. Of course, accepting the demise of the Taino as an organized society after the Spanish conquest makes Girard a supporter of the Taino extinction narrative. 

Taino Myth of the Cursed Creator

 

This short video brings to life one of the Taino creation stories reported in an account of the Indians of Hispaniola written by Fray Ramón Pané. The written account, based on his experiences on the island in the 1490s, is obviously much closer to the source material. Yet, it has its problems, too. Pané's cultural bias, disdain for Taino religion and healers, language barriers, and passion for converting what he saw as heatens produces a plethora of problems. Still, anyone who wants to reconstruct the culture, beliefs, and practices of the indigenous population of Hispaniola must use these sources in some form. His account has undoubtedly influenced the above video segment retelling the origin of the sea with beautiful artwork.